Family Always Sticks Together
by IcyandMidnight
Summary: The Kirkland brothers receive new arrivals when Arthur finds two lost boys in a forest near their castle. Everything's fine until the youngest of the Kirklands notices a bit of favoritism going on... which will lead to chaos beyond measure. Even more problems erupt when the eldest yells at one of the boys in anger, creating bigger problems at hand. Rated for the Kirklands' mouths
1. Who's This?

**Hello, fellow hetalians! ****Midnight here with a new story to tell~**

**It's based on the Kirkland bros and the American bros and whatnot.**

**There will be sadness here...YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Lol, like you care.**

**ANYWAYSS, here are a few guidelines (if you can't figure it out yourself!)**

**Allistor: Scotland**

**Arthur: England**

**Dylan: Wales**

**Connor: N. Ireland**

**Alfred: America**

**Matthew: Canada**

**That is all!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HETALIA OR THE PROMPT GIVEN TO ME TO CREAT THIS FANFIC. ONLY THE STORY IS MINE.**

* * *

"Allistor's back!"

Dylan Kirkland, a young man the age of 20 with brown hair and teal eyes shook his younger sibling in excitement while the other tried to push the other off in vain.

"Get off of me! Jeez, why are you acting like a kid?"

Connor Kirkland, two years younger than the other with lime green eyes, freckles, and orange hair finally got his brother to stop jumping like an idiot, but Dylan still ran outside to greet his eldest brother, Allistor Kirkland of 25 years of age. His eyes were a dark forest green and his hair was an almost fiery red.

"Come on! At least act like you're glad he made it back safely!"

Connor rolled his eyes. Of course his brother would come back with all limbs attached, it was Allistor for crying out loud! If enemies weren't afraid of his army, they were afraid of him.

"I am glad, idiot! Just not as jumpy as you!"

Connor ran after Dylan and came out just in time to see Allistor coming through the gates. Said brother got off of his horse and handed the reins to a servant to put in the stables. Walking over to his younger siblings, he only had one question.

"Where's Arthur?"

* * *

Arthur Kirkland, second oldest of the family and a man of 23 with dirty blonde hair and emerald eyes was out on his daily walk through the forest. He wore a green cloak the color of the leaves and carried a bow along with a quiver filled with arrows, but was definitely not alone. His fairy friends who were telling him where the best game was at the moment accompanied him, but were arguing about the same thing. "Over by the lake! There was a group of deer!"

"No! Over by the big tree! There were a lot of squirrels gathering there!"

"Seriously? SQUIRRELS? There was some elk by the cliff!"

"Well, all those suggestions sound marvelous. I'll visit all but my brother is probably here already so I won't be able to spend time with you after this."

The fairies gave a gloomy sigh since Arthur had promised to show them some new magic spells that day. The young man decided to head to the lake, which made the fairy that suggested it beam with pride. Once they did reach it, however, Arthur was about to loose his arrow before he heard a muffled conversation coming from a bush nearby. As second in line to be king, it was his duty to protect the kingdom, so he pointed the arrow to the origin of the noise and called out.

"Show yourselves, whoever you are!"

The bushes rustled a bit, but eventually two little boys with blonde hair stepped out. One had purple eyes and shoulder length hair along with an interesting strand curling in front and was crying along with a scraped knee. The other had blue eyes with short hair and a piece that stood up as if a cow had licked it and caused it to stay that way. The blue-eyed one was biting his lip in order to keep from crying, apparently trying to be strong for the other. As he spoke, his voice wavered slightly.

"C-can you help u-us?"

* * *

"What do you mean 'out'? Out where?"

Connor shrugged, obviously not caring but Dylan provided further details.

"In the forest. He goes there everyday, Allistor! You even agreed to it!"

Allistor was lost. When had Arthur suggested this? He really needed to start paying attention to things. Sighing, Allistor motioned a servant to bring his horse once more.

"Come on. Let's go find him."

Connor shook his head, pointing at the gates.

"No need. He's already here."

Sure enough, Arthur was walking towards the castle and seemed to be talking to someone along the way. Connor scoffed,

"What's he going on about? Is he talking to those 'magical fairy friends' again?"

Dylan smacked the back of Connor's head at the comment and hissed back,

"We know you can see them too, so shut up. Besides, none of them are around at the moment…"

The eldest walked over to Arthur and began to interrogate him.

"Just where the bloody hell have you been?"

Arthur didn't even flinch at his brothers' tone or even the fact that a bit of spit landed on his cheek. He'd heard it long enough to become immune.

"I was in the forest, just like I had told you I'd be doing everyday. Do you even bother paying any attention to me?"

Allistor sighed and turned his attention to the movement behind the other.

"Who's this?"

* * *

**Well! That's chapter one! I'll upload 2 later (since I've already got everything typed hehe)**

**Look forward to it! That is, if you liked it...**

**~Midnight~**


	2. New Arrivals

**Surprise! You get another chapter~**

* * *

Inside the castle, Arthur took the small boys into the kitchen to be fed and taken care of. Especially the purple-eyed ones' knee, that had started to leak a bit of pus. Allistor proceeded to yell at Arthur for bringing "useless things" to the house. Arthur then yelled back saying human beings were not useless pieces of trash to be treated as such and it simply escalated from there. Dylan and Connor decided to go and meet the newcomers properly since both knew nothing would stop the eldest from bickering any time soon. Going in, they found one of the servants patching the knee of the injured one with the other boy standing next to them. Dylan went over, crouched down, and began to ask a few simple questions.

"What are your names?"

The one with blue eyes looked up and managed to stutter an answer.

"I-I'm Alfred. He's m-my brother Matthew…"

Dylan grinned, happy he could get the boy to speak and ruffled Alfred's hair.

"Nice to meet you, Alfred! My name's Dylan. The one over there with the scowl is my little brother Connor. Did Arthur find you?"

Connor overheard Dylan's comment and stuck his tongue out, making Alfred giggle before nodding and coming up with a question of his own.

"Why do you all have different voices?"

Dylan blinked and Connor raised an eyebrow, both thinking about what the boy meant, but before they could ask, Alfred asked another question.

"And…why do you all have really big eyebrows?"

Dylan had to laugh then. Connor had failed stifling his own and tried to answer back.

"T-the real question, lad, is w-why are yours so thin?"

Connor had walked up to the boy and poked his eyebrows when he had spoken, which made Alfred giggle even more. Matthew had made a squeaky noise, which sounded somewhat like a giggle to which turned Dylan's attention.

"Why are you so quiet?"

Matthew stopped smiling and hid behind his hair and brother while Alfred grinned and poked his cheek.

"He's really shy around people, but once he gets to know you, he's the best!"

Dylan smiled at the duo as both he and Connor wondered about the same thing,

_'Why don't we get along like that?'_

After a little while, Arthur and Allistor came into the kitchen. The redhead pointed at the little boys as he spoke.

"You can stay here at the castle as long as you don't get in anyone's way or cause any trouble. Got it?"

Alfred and Matthew nodded quickly under the intimidating gaze, showing their understanding before Allistor shot them a question of his own.

"Do you remember how you ended up in the forest?"

The small boys paled at that, with Matthew on the verge of tears before Alfred quickly shook his head.

"N-no sir…all I remember is running away from something…scary."

Matthew nodded to that, trying hard not to let his tears spill. Because of the tension created, Alfred turned to Dylan and whispered in his ear,

"You still haven't told me why your voices sound different!"

Dylan was confused again, but understood quicker than last time and began to laugh again. Allistor shot him a glare thinking the boy must've made fun of him but Arthur and Connor were simply lost. Dylan then decided to explain.

"Well, we are in the United Kingdom, laddie. Our accents differ according to where our grandparents and great-grandparents were from. Allistor got the Scottish one, Arthur the British, Connor the Irish, and I the Welsh."

Noticing Alfred and Matthew's seemed very confused as Dylan sighed and tried a different approach.

"Let's say… our voices vary by our personalities, alright?"

The boys grinned and nodded as the other Kirkland brothers tried not to smile at the true statement.

* * *

A few weeks had passed since the new arrivals had come into the Kirkland's lives. Arthur had begun to spend a lot of time with the boys, especially Alfred, along with Dylan. Allistor, however, completely ignored the boys. If Alfred called out to him, he'd turn around and pretend he hadn't heard anything. Matthew wasn't as persistent as his brother, so his presence was usually forgotten. It frustrated him that sometimes people would bump into him and move on as if he'd been a piece of furniture but he wouldn't say or do anything about it because of his quiet and timid nature. The closest he'd ever get to yelling was a loud whisper…

Things were also getting a bit shaky between Connor and his relationship with his elder brothers. He'd never bother Allistor (nobody ever did unless they wanted some sort of scar in the future) but whenever he'd try to spend time with the other two, they'd say things like: "Sorry, got a few things to do!" or "No, I've got plans with Alfred." In Connor's eyes, it was easy to tell Dylan would say the first and Arthur the second. He tried to talk to Matthew, but those conversations always began and ended a bit like this:

"Hello."

"…Hello…"

"Um…what're you doing?"

"Uh…um…is it…bad…?"

"N-no! I didn't mean it like that!"

"…"

"…"

This continued for days until Connor saw something that made him finally snap.

* * *

**Ooh...what do you think it is? Spoiler warning: _he dies_**

**I'M KIDDING**

**...**

**or am I?**

**Really hope you're enjoying this story, look forward to the next chapter!**

**~Midnight~**


	3. The Youngest Runs

**So...only one review...**

**I didn't expect this to be popular anyways...**

* * *

Arthur and Dylan were out in the village walking alongside Alfred on a sunny afternoon when the small boy grabbed Arthur's right hand and Dylan's left hand and exclaimed with a big smile on his face:

"Swing me!"

The older brothers looked at each other with confusion at first but then smiled and did as Alfred had suggested. Alfred was yelling in joy telling them to go higher as they followed his commands. It seemed the trio was having the best time of their lives…but none saw Connor looking at them from a few feet behind. He began to go through his own childhood memories: Had they ever done anything like that with him? No. Both Allistor and Arthur would always push him away and call him an annoyance if he ever wanted to play, but Dylan could be an exception. He'd play a few times if he had the time but mostly, Connor had grown up alone. Bitterness and resentment seemed to explode inside of the youngest Kirkland brother as angry tears ran down his cheeks. Running back to the castle and into his room, he screamed. He hadn't noticed Matthew in the corner playing by himself so he just let everything out and sobbed uncontrollably. At first, the purple-eyed boy was scared with Connor's sudden outburst but realized that the older needed comfort. Placing a small hand on the other's shoulder, Connor jumped at the touch and stared at Matthew's eyes for a while before breaking down again. Matthew sat Connor down and climbed onto his lap to hug the other until he'd stop crying, but the tears had sucked the energy out of Connor as he fell asleep in Matthew's arms. The boy decided to lay himself and Connor down to take a nap. Even small Mattie needed a body's warmth at the moment.

* * *

Matthew woke up before Connor, so he got up quietly and covered Connor with a few blankets before exiting the bedroom. Evening had fallen in the kingdom and the young boy heard noises coming downstairs.

'Probably from the dining room and kitchen…they must've started eating.'

A bit disappointed they hadn't come upstairs to check on him or Connor, he made his way to the stairs before he saw a light coming from Allistor's room. Deciding to do him a favor and hopefully earn some sort of acknowledgment, he went over to call him over for dinner.

It was the biggest mistake he could've ever thought of making.

* * *

First off, he didn't knock. Second, Allistor was very stressed. A stressed Allistor meant an angry Allistor, and he was already normally scary. His red hair would always seem to light up like a fire whenever he yelled, and little Matthew became a witness as to how true that statement was.

"A-Allistor? It's time to eat…"

The elder looked up from his paperwork and turned to Matthew with noticeable bags under his eyes, making his deep green eyes appear dull and without life, the equivalent of a dead corpse. Frowning and taking a cigar out of his mouth, he told Matthew very firmly,

"Get out and don't disturb me again."

This was the small boy's first warning, but he ignored it. Swallowing hard, he stepped a bit further and continued to be persistent.

"But Allistor, you're very tired… Y-you have to eat something before you…might collapse…"

Putting down his quill and rubbing the bridge between his eyes, Allistor sighed, trying not to yell at the boy right then and there.

"Look, I know you mean well, but I need to get this work done. Do you know how hard it is being the first born?"

Matthew shook his head since Alfred was actually the oldest, but didn't give up.

"It'll…do you good. If you continue to work like this-"

The other finally gave up acting calm as he stood up, pushing his chair back, slamming his hands on his desk, and yelling directly at Matthew.

"You don't seem to understand, do you? I need to get this done; there is a bloody deadline for crying out loud! I'd appreciate it a lot if you'd stop being annoying and acting concerned about me!"

Matthew stepped back with tears beginning to overflow and run down his cheeks in fright and managed to stutter out a shaky apology.

"I-I'm s-sorry…"

That only made Allistor even angrier.

"Don't start crying like a little wimp! If you're going to, go to another room and bawl over there, I don't want to see or hear it. Just get out already and stop being such a nuisance!"

Matthew began to run away from the verbal abuse but didn't run to the dining room where he assumed his brother and adoptive family would be. He didn't stop at the village. He didn't stop at the gates. He simply headed straight towards the forest, without a cloak, lamp, or anyone to know where he'd be.

He was going into the most dangerous place in the kingdom alone.

**~Midnight~**


	4. The Pain is Unbearable

**YAY PEOPLE LIKE MY STORY**

**I FEEL AWESOME**

**FEELS ALONG THE WAY**

* * *

Connor awoke right when Allistor had finished yelling, but hadn't gotten up quickly enough to catch Matthew running away. He ignored the light from his brother's bedroom and headed straight downstairs to eat. He knew he probably looked awful since his eyes felt swollen (and were probably red) and his face tear-stained. Entering the room, he regretted not looking for Matthew to come along with him. Arthur was laughing at the silly faces Alfred was making while Dylan smeared the boy's face with food, making him look ridiculous. Connor felt anger boiling up once again while his thoughts began to swim through his head.

'Arthur would've yelled at me.'

'Probably slapped me as well.'

'Telling me to eat and not waste anything needlessly…'

The trio saw Connor by the doorway and Arthur's smile seemed to drop for a millisecond and Alfred continued to smile like an idiot. Dylan motioned for Connor to join them, but the youngest balled his hands into fists and began to accuse his other brothers.

"Why do you do things with him you never did with me as a child?"

Arthur sighed and grabbed a napkin to clean Alfred's face and began to answer.

"Look…we just-"

Connor cut him off.

"Think he's a better younger brother than I ever was? Is that it?"

The younger had begun to shake with anger and new tears were forming as Dylan noticed his state. He had gotten up and tried to head towards Connor, but he stepped back.

"No, I understand. I understand PERFECTLY."

Turning around completely and starting to walk away, Dylan ran up to him and tried to put a hand on his shoulder, but Connor quickly slapped it away.

"Don't you dare touch me…"

The second youngest tried again but was slapped away once more, this time causing Connor to turn around showing his face with tears spilling like waterfalls.

"I SAID DON'T TOUCH ME! GO TO THE NEW YOUNGER BROTHER! HE'S THE NEW FAVORITE, ISN'T HE?! Just…stay away from me!"

With that, the youngest Kirkland ran the same way Matthew had gone, with the sun just on the brink of death.

* * *

Matthew was running. That was it. Just running. He passed by a few startled animals along the way but couldn't seem to notice them with his tears blurring his vision. He'd keep wiping them away but every time he did, new ones spilled out. He wasn't crying normally either. The average person would at least make a few whimpering noises and sniffle, but Matthew wasn't making any sound. Mucus running down his upper lip down to his chin, not bothering to sniff it back in, tears staining his cheeks over and over in layers, blocking his vision from seeing anything, but no sound at all. Because of his sight, he ended up tripping over an overgrown root and stumbled, causing him to roll and slam into a tree trunk. Letting out a gasp, he finally began to sob. He curled up and held his legs up to his chest, wincing and crying out again because of his skinned knee. He hadn't realized he had stumbled across a rose bush, one of the thorns getting him; blood now flowing from his left cheek. Everything began to hurt a million times worse once the adrenaline faded. With all his hurting, he himself expected to hate Allistor, but couldn't bring himself into doing so. The Kirklands had become his family after he and Alfred had…

"N-no! I don't *hic* want to think a-about tha-*hic*-t!"

Alfred and Matthew hadn't been honest when they said they didn't remember what had happened to cause them running here. He remembered everything clearly. The fire burning his village, his parents screaming for him to go and find help, being paralyzed and not able to move, Alfred grabbing his hand and running from their home right before his house crumpled to the ground…

That was when Matthew screamed, letting out all the pain he'd kept inside for too long.

* * *

**I wasn't feeling very good when I wrote this part. I was angry at the world so I sort of transmitted it here...Poor Canada...**

**N. Italy: Ve~ it's okay! He said it was alright since he was happy to just be part of the story!**

**Me: Really?**

**Canada: Yes...**

**Me: OKAY CAN I HUG YOU THEN?!**

**Canada: Wha-!**

***glomps Canadian***

**~Midnight~**


	5. Contúirt Tá Éirí Amach

**'Ello again.**

**So Connor is going to sing in this chapter.**

**Everything shall be at the bottom A/N.**

* * *

Connor had actually gotten on a horse before going out to the forest. His vision was as bad, if not worse, than Matthew's. It wasn't a surprised when he caused his horse to stumble and fling him through the air. He thankfully landed on a soft patch of grass instead of slamming into a tree, which would've broken a few bones. The shock of falling onto his back and losing the air in his lungs made him stop crying for a while until he regained the ability to breath. He then continued to sob once again. His mind was all over the place, trying to place each thought in the correct spot until he heard a scream that shot an arrow right through them. Connor stopped crying with a few sniffles still coming out, but he wiped his eyes and stood up to look around for any sign of the origin. He noticed some grass that had been flattened, already returning to normal, along with some rolling marks on a dirt path. He followed the trail until he found Matthew, curled up and sobbing. The young Kirkland tried to get closer but stepped on a twig, which caused Matthew to look up in fear. The boys' purple eyes were red and puffy, with tearstains on his cheeks. It was a painful sight to see on his innocent face, but Connor focused on his wounds. He continued to get closer, but Matthew inched away. The older noticed and softened his eyes, making them seem like a bright green sea after a storm.

"It's okay…I won't hurt you."

Matthew somehow knew he was telling the truth, so he believed him. Lip quivering, the boy got up, ran, and jumped into Connor's arms despite his pain. Crying into his chest, Connor took the opportunity to sit down. He knew it wasn't the right moment to ask what he was doing here, much less why he was crying. Running a hand through the smaller one's hair, he began taking a few leaves and twigs that had gotten tangled. He began to sing a soft lullaby he had learned from his great-grandmother, which was an Irish song called _Ballyeamon Cradle_.

_Rest tired eyes a while_

_Sweet is thy baby's smile_

_Angels are guarding and they watch o'er thee_

_Sleep, sleep, grah mo chree_

_Here on you mamma's knee_

_Angels are guarding_

_And they watch o'er thee_

_The birdeens sing a fluting song_

_They sing to thee the whole daylong_

_Wee fairies dance o'er hill and dale_

_For very love of thee_

_Dream, Dream, grah mo chree_

_Here on your Mamma's knee_

_Angels are guarding and they watch o'er thee_

_As you sleep may Angels watch over_

_And may they guard o'er thee._

_The primrose in the sheltered nook_

_The crystal stream the babbling brook_

_All these things God's hands have made_

_For very love of thee_

_Twilight and shadows fall_

_Peace to His children all_

_Angels are guarding and they watch o'er thee_

_As you sleep_

_May Angels watch over and May they guard o'er thee_

The soothing words made Matthew calm down and stop crying. He didn't really understand much of what Connor was saying since he had thickened his accent along with using words in a different language. Right before Matthew fell asleep, he asked,

"What does _grah mo chree_ mean…?"

Connor had begun to cry silently after singing the lullaby, but turned to the boy and smiled sweetly.

"It's Gaelic for sweetheart."

Matthew gave a small smile himself before snuggling into Connor's chest and falling asleep in the position. The older laid him down and continued to stroke the boy's hair. He hadn't realized how much he wanted a younger brother. The lullaby brought back happy memories Connor hadn't remembered about, which was why he had started to cry. Allistor, Arthur, and Dylan had wanted to learn the lullaby but couldn't do the accent their great-grandmother could manage. It had been the funniest moment when Allistor ended up thickening his Scottish accent instead of an Irish one… 'I've been selfish…' Connor thought. He laid down himself and closed his eyes, worn down from everything that had happened. However, neither had noticed the moon beginning to peek over the horizon.

Trouble would be coming their way soon enough.

* * *

"Arthur…what did Connor mean by new favorite?"

Alfred had begun to feel bad about what had happened earlier and was washing his face upstairs with Arthur's help. At the question, Arthur scoffed and answered abruptly.

"Nothing. He meant nothing. There's never been a favorite in this family and there never will be, so I don't know what the bloody hell the wanker was talking about."

Dylan sighed and was about to add onto the conversation before Allistor came out of his office/bedroom. The eldest sighed as well while running a hand through his hair.

"Where's Matthew?"

Alfred looked up from drying his face at the mention of his brother's name.

"Mattie? I thought he was sleeping?"

Allistor's expression turned to a guilty one as Dylan took notice, immediately knowing the elder did something terribly wrong.

"_Duw, _what did you do?"

Arthur turned towards the redhead as well as all three waited for an explanation. Allistor saw no way out, so he confessed.

"He…came into my room to call me for dinner but I was busy, signing paperwork and whatnot…"

Arthur had already started to rub the bridge of his nose at 'call me for dinner' while Dylan put his face into his hands in frustration, finishing his older brother's story.

"And you yelled at him for interrupting, scaring him, causing him to run away, most likely to the North…"

All the eldest could do was nod. Alfred, on the other hand, became red with anger and started to punch Allistor's leg while screaming.

"Why did you do that?! He's sensitive! He can't stand yelling, it hurts him!"

The young boy ended his assault with a kick and ran down the stairs. Arthur ran after him, in fear of the boy doing something stupid.

"Oi! Where do you think you're going?!"

Alfred replied simply while putting on his cloak, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"To go find our brothers!"

Arthur stopped him just before he ran out the front door.

"Hey! You can't go alone, idiot! Let me grab a few of my things and I'll go with you."

Alfred argued for a bit, saying he wanted to be the hero to get the missing brothers back, but then noticed how dark it had become. Before Arthur went to get his things, Dylan appeared while dragging Allistor behind him.

"We're coming too. We all have equal responsibility for this so we'll all go."

Allistor pulled away and crossed his arms in an annoyed huff. Arthur nodded and grabbed everyone's cloaks: Allistor's royal blue, his own forest green, and Dylan's dirt brown. He even took Connor's crimson red and put it inside a satchel, hoping he'd have a chance to give it to him. That was when he remembered something, and told everyone to wait.

"I need to grab something, hold on."

With that, he ran into the meeting room and left his brother's and Alfred alone, wondering what could happen to the youngest.

* * *

"I know I have it here somewhere…"

Arthur was inside a watchtower, on the Southwest side of the castle. The only thing was that it wasn't actually a watchtower. Designed specifically by Arthur and built in collaboration with his brothers, climbing up the stairs would lead you to a secret room locked by a magic spell. Only Arthur knew it, preventing anyone from entering. It was where he practiced his magic kept spell books, visited whenever he needed to clear his head, or simply for fun. At the moment, he was looking for a certain spell, which allowed him to find anything he'd like to look for: a hidden treasure, spies from rival kingdoms, or in this case, missing people.

"AHA! Found you!"

Grabbing the scroll, he chanted something in Gaelic and disappeared from the room.

Allistor, Dylan, and Alfred were in the stables preparing their horses when Arthur suddenly appeared behind them, scaring the youngest there.

"You just couldn't wait one bloody second, could you?"

Alfred began to shoot a million questions at Arthur, starting with "Where did you come from? How did you do that?" The blonde simply chuckled and ruffled Alfred's hair, preparing his own horse. Once everyone was ready, Arthur looked at Allistor who gave him a nod and began to chant once more, eyes glowing white. Alfred got scared but Dylan reassured him that Arthur was going to be all right.

"So? Where are they?"

Allistor had said that, arms crossed as always. Alfred looked at him with an expression that could clearly say 'what…?' since he hadn't known about Arthur's ability to use magic. With a small gasp, Arthur's eyes returned to their emerald green and turned to Allistor.

"The good thing is, they're both together. The bad is that Matthew is injured… and they're directly in the middle of the forest."

* * *

**Alrighty! Here are some explanations~**

**Duw- Welsh for 'God'**

**Ballyeamom Cradle- Irish lullaby. It's sort of old and really sweet ^~^**

**grah mo chree- Gaelic for sweetheart (I really want to learn Gaelic...)**

**So...what dangers could be in the forest?**

**YOU'LL SEE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER**

**(btw, the title is Irish for 'Danger is Rising')**

**~Midnight~**


	6. A Sacrifice to Save the Other

**These are probably the shortest author's notes I've ever done...**

**Oh right! I started reading '_Auf Wiederhesen_, Sweetheart'...**

**I don't even know how I'm going to survive after that.**

* * *

Connor had fallen asleep a few moments after Matthew, waking up to a slight nudging on his arms. Opening his eyes slowly, he was looking straight up at the sky where the full moon was shining bright. Sitting up in alarm, he looked around to find a troll and two fairies with wide eyes full of fright.

"Oh, good, you're awake!"

"You must leave at once, human!"

"The beast is hunting tonight, what are you doing?!"

Connor looked back and forth at the creatures, shaking his head and clearing his throat.

"W-what…beast?"

The fairies looked at each other nervously as the troll answered.

"The ancient wolf of old…_Fenrir_…"

The fairies seemed to shiver at the name, but the conversation woke Matthew up. The little boy looked up to see the small visitors.

"…Fairies…?"

The ladies looked at him and smiled in pure delight and went over to stroke his face and hair.

"Well aren't you a dear?"

"Not many youngsters nowadays can see us, oh, how fun!"

With a clearing of his throat, the troll caught the fairies attention to the task at hand.

"You must leave at once! You are in grave danger!"

Matthew looked up at Connor, expecting answers, but the older couldn't speak. He sensed that something was watching them… but it definitely wasn't friendly. Something snapped in a nearby bush, which Connor reacted to immediately, standing up to protect Matthew. At his movement, the creature that created the noise stepped out from the shadows. It looked like a wolf, yes, but was most definitely NOT a wolf. It had four glowing, yellow eyes and six legs and even appeared to be wearing some sort of armor. When it opened its mouth, flames came out from the sides, making it appear even deadlier. The fairies and the troll had fled from the scene already and Connor knew he had no chance against the monster without any weapons. Grabbing Matthews' hand that was trembling in fear, he looked into the boys' eyes and yelled in the firmest voice he could manage:

"RUN!"

* * *

Allistor, Dylan, and Arthur were riding their horses through the forest with Alfred on Arthur's horse.

"What's the big deal with the middle anyways?"

Without turning around, Arthur answered in a sort of expressionless voice.

"That is where the most dangerous creatures live. Not to mention the biggest and ugliest."

Dylan, who was riding next to them added on

"Plus, Connor didn't take anything with him it seemed, which means he doesn't have anything to defend himself with."

Allistor who was leading then finished with a small hint of guilt.

"That also means they have a dangerously big chance of dying tonight…"

* * *

Connor was running as fast as he ever could, dragging little Matthew behind him with the monster beginning to reach them. That rule on the bigger, the slower? Yeah, that was pure nonsense.

"Run, Mattie, run! You need to keep running!"

The boy was tearing up and slowing down because of his injuries but managed let out a small whisper through gasps.

"I-I can't…."

That was when he tripped.

Connor lost grip on Matthew's hand and stopped on his tracks, turning around to see the _Fenrir_ looming over the younger boy, making little Matthew tremble and cry in fear. Running back towards them, Connor jumped in front of Matthew right when the creature was about to grab him with it's enormous, fire breathing mouth…

And took the Kirkland instead.

"CONNOR!"

* * *

**'Kay, so, I did research of a monster-wolf thing and this legend came up about a monster wolf named Fenrir. It's supposedly super big and deadly and looks as if it wears armor all the time. It's kind of like a hellhound since it's said that if you see it, it means your death is near. (If not THAT SAME DAY.)**

**It's a Norwegian legend too.**

**I told you he was gonna die.**

**~Midnight~**


	7. A Broken Family Mends

**Hello.**

**Be prepared for feels.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HETALIA AS MUCH AS I'D LIKE TO.**

* * *

Matthew hadn't been the one to let out the scream, it'd been Arthur. The group reached the youngest siblings just when the creature bit Connor's back. He let out a scream of pure agony as his brothers took out their bows and chanted a spell in unison. It made the arrows come together as one when they were set loose to create a single powerful arrow, which went straight through the monster's head. It loosened its grip on Connor, the fire dying out and it's yellow eyes becoming dim. Alfred, who had been frozen in fear the entire time, went to Matthew who was in shock at the moment. The Kirkland brothers were at Connor's side with Arthur being the only one shaking and sobbing.

"Connor? Connor! O-oi! D-don't die!"

The one lying on the floor smiled weakly, blood spilling from his sides as well as his mouth. He laughed painfully and managed to sputter out a sentence.

"N-now…you…. care…about…m-me…"

Allistor spoke up at the statement.

"We all care about you, idiot! We're FAMILY for crying out loud!"

Dylan had a hand over his mouth and tears spilling down his cheeks, his expression signaling if he spoke, only cries and hiccups would come out. Arthur, however, was crying and sobbing even as he talked.

"I d-do care about y-you! H-how could I *hic* n-not?! I'm sorry I never sh-show any love t-towards y-you… I'm sorry…*hic* I'm so sorry! Just p-please, hold on! W-we can fix y-you right up!"

Connor simply continued to smile as his eyes betrayed his brothers' pleads, telling him to open his eyes and keep them that way in fear they'd stay closed forever.

'Just…hold on. I need to rest for a bit…'

Of course, Connor never said those words since he'd already lost consciousness from blood loss.

* * *

Waking up with a gasp, Connor sat up on his bed with all of his brothers and the adopted ones around him. Arthur's face lit up as he smiled and hugged his youngest member of the family, crying in joy.

"You're awake! Thank god, you're awake! We thought we'd lost you!"

Allistor smirked,

"Well, HE thought we'd lost ya'."

Dylan punched the elder's arm with a lot of force, making the other mouth a complaint and rub the spot.

"Oi, you were crying too."

Alfred was grinning from ear to ear, glad to see that Connor was okay, but a small figure was standing behind him. Connor smiled gently and asked the shadow,

"How's your cheek?"

Matthew stepped out from hiding behind his brother and answered quietly.

"Good…your ribs…?"

Connor looked down to his bandages and winced trying to sit up better before chuckling and answering, thickening his Irish accent.

"It's seen better days laddie."

Matthew smiled and walked over to the Kirkland on the bed while everyone laughed. The boy hugged Connor tightly, with the other returning the motion.

"I'm glad you're okay."

Connor smiled. He'd never realized what he'd wanted for a long time was simply appreciation. Alfred climbed on the bed and hugged Connor as well, motioning the other brothers to join in a group hug.

"Let's just get something clear: NEVER assume we don't care about you"

Allistor had been the one to speak as Dylan continued,

"Because we are family,"

Arthur then took Connor's hand and gave it a tight squeeze before finishing off the short speech.

"And family always sticks together."

* * *

**For anyone who thought he was gonna die: YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER.**

**I'M NOT THE TYPE TO KILL OFF A CHARACTER.**

**Icy is tho...**

**...**

**watch out for her stories, as short as they might be.**


	8. Epilogue

**I guess this is an epilogue of some sorts...**

* * *

Fifteen years had passed since then. Alfred and Matthew had left five years ago to find where they had come from, hoping to bump into someone who'd recognize them. Arthur had half hoped they'd come back, but those wishes had vanished a long time ago. Allistor had been crowned king at last, but refused to marry, saying there were already enough heirs to the crown. They were at war at the moment with an unknown enemy from across the seas and Connor had been chosen to lead the Kirkland army. They were at a base in the forest right on the spot Arthur had met the boys he considered brothers, but they had other business to take care of instead of dealing with lost memories.

Gathered around a map of the enemy base, details taken from spies sent over under protection of an invisibility spell, all four Kirkland brothers were discussing tactical advantages when a knight came running into the room, clearly out of breath.

"We…have found…two spies…my lords…"

All four turned around and spoke at the same time,

"Take us to them."

Arriving to the place the enemy spies were being kept, knights were surrounding the captives, swords pointed at the enemy. Arthur noticed something strange about the spies' hair, but brushed it off. It was too much of a coincidence that they had the same color of hair as the two boys he'd found do long ago… That was when he saw the curled strand and a rebellious hair standing on the men before him.

'No…they can't be…'

Allistor motioned the knights to lower their weapons and let the captives stand.

"Lift up your heads, state your name and purpose."

Obviously, nobody but Arthur had noticed the similarities. That was until the one with a hair standing up looked straight at the family, blue eyes looking at Allistor.

"My name is Alfred Jones. My purpose is to infiltrate and gather information from the English camp."

The one with a curled strand of hair to his left looked up as well, his purple eyes showing how sorry he was, and a scar showing on his left cheek.

"My name…is Matthew Williams…my purpose is to assist Alfred Jones on the mission…"

The Kirkland family was too shocked to speak. Dylan and Arthur had already begun to tear up, Allistor was trying to understand the situation, and Connor had barely managed a small whisper:

"…Mattie…?"

The young man looked at Connor with only guilt and smiled. That smile that only showed sweetness, gentleness, and calmness. The smile that had given Connor the reassurance that he was loved.

"Have your ribs gotten better?

* * *

**So I was thinking about writing either a sequel or a prequel... What do you guys think?**

**Please tell me in the reviews if you'd like a backstory on Alfred and Matthew before they met Arthur, or a continuation on why the brothers are at war with 'family'.**

**I already have ideas for both you know :3**

**N. Italy: Be careful what you choose! They're both quite sad...**

**Me: Yup.**

**~Midnight~**


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